Visit of the Slovak Business Delegation
On Tuesday, 16 June 2026, NCSR Demokritos hosted a prominent Slovak Business Delegation at the Small Amphitheatre of the new IIT Smart Building. The high-level networking event aimed to bridge the research, technological, and entrepreneurial ecosystems of both nations, driving forward a shared European vision for digital transformation and global competitiveness.
The afternoon commenced with an exclusive site visit for the Slovak delegation to the campus’s Hydrogen Refuelling Station, showcasing Greece’s expanding clean energy infrastructure. Following the tour, institutional leaders, diplomats, and corporate executives gathered for a series of presentations highlighting bilateral opportunities in deep tech, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.
Shifting Agendas and Diplomatic Perspectives The event opened with welcoming and institutional remarks from Vangelis Karkaletsis, Director and Chairman of the Board at NCSR Demokritos. While unforeseen circumstances prevented Greece's Deputy Minister of Development, Stavros Kalafatis, from attending in person, a keynote message was delivered. He emphasized Greece's Public Diplomacy Strategic Plan 2026-2030, which positions research, innovation, and international partnerships as fundamental pillars of the country's foreign and economic policy.
Representing the Slovak Republic Ambassador Marcela Hanusová underlined Slovakia’s ongoing structural shift. Historically backed by a robust industrial base, Slovakia is aggressively pivoting toward a knowledge-based economy through its National Strategy for Research, Development and Innovation 2030. The Ambassador highlighted specific national focus areas, including AI, digital technologies, and cybersecurity, while commending Greece’s proactive digital transformation.
Slovak Deep Tech on Display
Eight innovative Slovak companies presented their capabilities, demonstrating strong expertise across multiple digital verticals: • ESET: Europe's leading endpoint security provider highlighted its 30-year legacy, protecting roughly 1 billion devices across 200 countries, and its established presence in the Greek and Cypriot markets. • Innovatrics: A global biometric technology provider specializing in facial recognition and fingerprint algorithms. Serving over 1 billion registered users, they deliver identity verification platforms for government IDs, criminal justice, and fintech sectors. • Luigi’s Box: An AI-powered product discovery and e-commerce search platform. Currently utilized by over 4,000 e-shops across Central Europe, the platform significantly optimizes customer conversion rates and revenues. • Nidex Technology: Operating in two distinct segments, Nidex delivers smart energy monitoring systems that slash corporate operational costs by up to 30%, alongside an on-premise, secure AI assistant (powered by Ollama models) for sovereign corporate document tracking. • Norriv: Showcased its advanced AI-powered holographic assistance technologies via interactive displays at the venue. • Odyzeo Services: A full-house UX, DevOps, and e-commerce design studio operating globally out of Bratislava, leveraging AI tools to optimize customer experiences based on strict data analysis. • R-DAS: An IoT specialist covering the complete product lifecycle from in-house hardware manufacturing to cloud applications. The company provides critical temperature-monitoring solutions for smart cities and pharmaceutical supply chains. • Microstep-MIS: Boasting a 28-year operational history in Greece, the environmental and aviation meteorology giant highlighted its vital network installations for the Hellenic National Meteorological Service and the Ministry of Civil Protection to combat wildfires.
The final segment of the presentations focused on groundbreaking initiatives originating from NCSR Demokritos and the wider Greek ecosystem:
Aitherion: Where Philosophy Meets AI Presented by researcher Lida Arnellou, Aitherion is an immersive "philosophy hub" operating right next to the archaeological site of Aristotle’s Lyceum in central Athens. Blending ancient Greek philosophy with digital tech, the open lab runs a unique group experience titled "Democracy and Eudaimonia". Visitors navigate ethical dilemmas overseen by "Aethra," a digital AI entity designed to explore human qualitative decision-making, transforming culture into an active societal dialogue.
Pharos: The Greek AI Factory Aphrodite Sevasti, CEO of Pharos, outlined a highly unique corporate structure in Europe. Established as a private subsidiary under Greece's National Fund Growth Fund and co-funded equally by the European Commission and the Greek government, Pharos acts as a flexible, lightweight "one-stop shop" for startups and SMEs. Rather than owning hardware, Pharos leverages GRNET's upcoming Daedalos high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure. It serves as a sovereign safeguard for sensitive public data sets (e.g., healthcare and culture) while offering sandbox environments and talent literacy programs.
ahedd: Empowering Small Businesses Closing out the ecosystem review, Periklis Terlixidis introduced ahedd (Attica Hub for the Economy of Data and Devices), a highly successful spin-off of NCSR Demokritos. Managing Smart Attica, previously recognized as the largest AI European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH), ahedd guides SMEs through a rigorous three-phase digital transformation methodology (Awareness, Piloting, and Scaling).
The evening concluded with a networking cocktail in the adjacent foyer, where Greek and Slovak counterparts explored potential joint R&D projects and corporate partnerships.